“It’s
funny the way most people love the dead. Once you are dead, you are made for
life.”
Jimi
Hendrix 1968
(1942-1970)
Jimi Hendrix has become somewhat of a legend in modern day society; his music is admired and listened to by people of all different ages all over the world. It has been over 35 years since his death in1970, yet he still remains as popular today, if not more so, than he ever was; and his music is still as strong a force within the music industry as it ever was.He was born in Seattle, on November 27 1942; his parents where African American and Cherokee Indian, and he was originally named Johnny Allen Hendrix until 1946 when his father changed his
name to James Marshall Hendrix. Jimmy taught himself to play the ukulele and later went on to buy an acoustic guitar for a mere $5. His first electric uitar was given to him as a present by his father, who was actually a single
parent, and he practiced regularly until he was good enough to play in bands.
Whilst Jimi was in high school he started experimenting with drugs, he later dropped out of school to find work, lthough he later claimed that he was expelled. In 1961 he was arrested for joy riding nd enlisted in the US army as an exchange for serving time in prison. Jimi’s
military records where released in 2005 under the freedom of information act, in
which it was revealed that Jimi Hendrix was considered an “undesirable” troop.
The documents stated, that Jimi Hendrix was regularly distracted during his duties due to the fact
that he was constantly thinking about his guitar. The document also stated that Jimi was
“unable to conform to military rules and regulations”. I must say that I am rather pleased to hear this, not only did imi avoid serving time; he also managed to get himself discharged from the army.
Jimi Hendrix toured playing backup guitar for many famous musicians some of which included
Sam Cooke, Little Richard and Jackie Wilson. In 1965 he formed Jimmy kames and the Blue Flames; whilst erforming at a local coffee house he was noticed by Chas Chandler, guitarist for The Animals, who convinced imi to go to London in 1966 where he formed “The Jimi Hendrix Experience” with Mitch Mitchell on the drums
and Noel Redding on bass guitar. The group toured all over England where they released the album Are You Experienced” which contained the infamous “Purple Haze” relating to a
form of LSD which at the time was known as purple haze.In 1967 Jimi returned to the USA to play at the Monterey International Pops Festival; his
musical style and stage performance made him rise to number one in the charts.
In 1968 he released 2 more albums, “Axis: Bold as Love” and “Ladyland”.Jimi Hendrix also performed at the egendary “Woodstock” festival performing his alternate version of “The Star pangled Banner”; Jimi actually received a few death threats as a result of
creating this song. Later he moved on to New York City to build “Electric Lady
Studios” where he could develop and record his tracks.Jimi Hendrix was a legendary guitarist; some would call him the greatest guitarist to have ever lived, lthough this is debateable. Either way, Jimi Hendrix did completely change the face of rock
music and was certainly one of the most talented guitarists to have ever lived.Jimmy Hendrix was buried on October 1st 1970; it is a popular misconception that he
died of a drug overdose, whilst he was a frequent user of many drugs such as LSD
and various pills, he actually died from choking on his own vomit whilst under
the influence of barbiturates, which are a form of depressants or more commonly
known as “downers”. They work by depressing the activity
of the central nervous system. You can never overstate Jimi Hendrix’s importance within the world of music; he taught himself
to play the guitar and was unable to read music, yet he went down in history as
a musical genius, and one of the greatest guitarists to have ever lived. His name will live on for many years to come, and he will always be remembered by those who
loved him. He has gone down in history as a truly great musician; along with Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, John Lennon and Tupac Shakur.
As Jimi himself stated in 1968 “It’s funny the way most
people love the dead. Once you are dead, you are made for life.”
The image of Jimi Hendrix is as much a part of the collective psyche of humanity just as much as the legendary anarchist symbol, the traditional peace symbol or the yin and yang symbol. Even if you do not know what those symbols mean, you will probably recognise them. They are painted all over the place, featured on T-shirts and pamphlets ad recognised by any child over the age of 10.
The same is true with the image of Jimi Hendrix, even those not aware of who he are still familiar with his name and face. Many people wear Jimi Hendrix t-shirts as a fashion statement, however the real fans wear them out of remembrance, to keep alive the name of a legend which changed the face of music and stood the test of time
We found some Jimi Hendrix T-shirts here that capture Jimi Hendrix as we would like to remember him.
Long live Jimi.
Independent Article on Jimi Hendrix written by Alex Shennan
